AFTER “bratty” behaviour from the kids turned a luxe family holiday to Florida sour, Noel Radford decided he had to act.
But instead of grounding the Radford youngsters or signing them up for some extra chores, the dad-of-22 went a bit further than wife Sue expected, signing up his kids for a 48-hour survival course in Ireland.
After his “bratty” kids did his “head in” during their luxe trip to Florida, dad-of-22 Noel came up with a cunning plan[/caption]
Just three weeks after returning to the UK from the States, the family headed to Ireland for a “weekend to remember”[/caption]
Eager to teach his youngster’s a lesson, the Radford dad took a select few of his kids on a two-day survival course[/caption]
Sue thought it was “bonkers”[/caption]
Taking away their phones, their home comforts and even the roof over their heads, the kids would need to learn fast if they were to succeed.
Reflecting on their children’s behaviour in tonight’s episode of 22 Kids & Counting, which will air on Channel 5 at 9pm, the family’s patriarch, 54, said: “You want your kids to have the things we didn’t have as kids, but sometimes I think, have we made them too comfortable?”
To which his wife-of-32-years, Sue, 50, recognised: “If we weren’t here to fill up the fridge and top up their phones, this lot wouldn’t survive for five minutes.”
Following this, Noel, who broke down in tears on the last series, added: “It’s drastic but maybe it’s time for us all to leave our comfort zone.”
The show then gave an insight into the family’s luxe but nightmare trip to Florida, as Noel sighed: “It annoys me, what’s the point in just sitting in your villa?
“We’re on holiday, think yourselves lucky. Be grateful you’re getting these opportunities.
“Our kids definitely have an easier path through life to what we had when we were kids, sometimes you sit back and think, are we creating monsters here? Should we be spoiling them?”
Unbothered about going out and exploring, Tillie, 15, shared: “I’m missing my friends, I’d rather be spending time with my friends than being here again.”
Later on, some kids moaned about being too hot and tired, whilst others sat on their phones, to which Noel fumed: “They’re doing my head in.”
Sharing his plan with Sue, who had her first child at the age of 13, Noel explained: “We need to get these kids a bit more motivated to do something. It’s ridiculous. We need to think of something to teach them life skills, resilience.”
Moments later, Noel found a survivalist specialist and had organised a two-day trip for his kids.
He shared: “I’m hiring them not just to shout and scream at the kids and get them into line, it’s more to get the kids to discover what they’re capable of doing and make them appreciate what they’ve got.”
But Sue wasn’t totally convinced by Noel’s idea, as she asked: “Is it a punishment because it sure sounds like it? I really think the whole idea is just bonkers.”
To this, Noel recognised: “I think the kids will gain a lot out of this. Some of this will be a bit testing for them. If this doesn’t work out, they will never speak to me again.”
How many people are in the Radford family?
Sue and Noel Radford have 22 children and 11 grandchildren.
- Noel – Born December 24, 1970
- Sue – Born March 22, 1975
- Chris – Born May 7, 1989 – married to Nicole Spencer and have three children: Maisie (June 3, 2017), Jacob (July 31, 2019), and Oaklyn, September 21, 2021). He is a stepdad to Nicole’s four kids
- Sophie – Born December 13, 1993– married to Joe Broadley and have three children: Daisy (August 27, 2012), Ayprill (October 13, 2014) and Leo, (December 24, 2015)
- Chloe – Born July 31, 1995– dating Jake Wallace and have one child: Mila (July 23, 2022), and due to have baby number two in 2025
- Jack – Born April 9, 1997
- Daniel – Born March 3, 1999
- Luke – Born October 1, 2000
- Millie – Born August 29, 2001 – married to Harley Passmore and have three children: Ophelia (September 12, 2020), Chester (February 20, 2022), and Elodie (September 19, 2023)
- Katie – Born November 14, 2002 – dating Connor Carter and have baby Ronnie (October 8, 2024)
- James – Born October 17, 2003
- Ellie – Born May 6, 2005
- Aimee – Born April 21, 2006
- Josh – Born July 3, 2007
- Max – Born December 11, 2008
- Tillie – Born May 2, 2010
- Oscar – Born October 22, 2011
- Casper – Born October 3, 2012
- Alfie – Stillborn July 6, 2014
- Hallie – Born June 3, 2015
- Phoebe – Born July 24, 2016
- Archie – Born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie – Born November 6, 2018
- Heidie – Born April 3, 2020
And just three weeks after returning to the UK from the States, Sue and Noel, along with Josh, 18, Max, 16, Tillie, 15, Casper, 12, Phoebe, nine, and granddaughter Daisy, 12, headed to Ireland for a “weekend to remember.”
After a two hour drive from Dublin airport, the family arrived at their survivalist adventure, where they were met by ex-military staff.
One of the staff members warned: “This is as remote as you can get. We teach people how to survive.
“We put them in a survival situation where they have to use the skills they’ve been taught. They are going to need resilience and motivation to help them succeed.”
This is going to be hard for them, they’re used to luxury hotels, their luxury campervan, their comfy beds – there’s none of that
Noel Radford
During their 48 hours in the wild, the family were set a string of gruelling tasks to test their resilience to the limit, including a blindfold challenge whereby the youngest siblings had to guide the older siblings.
And it soon became clear that 15-year-old Tillie was not pleased, as she fumed: “This is just pure madness. I do not like being shouted at and told what to do, I do not like it at all.
“I’m missing my phone, my home, my friends. I don’t want to be here.”
How does family-of-22 the Radfords afford to live?
AS Britain’s biggest family, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford must have some hefty bills.
Between them, they have a whopping 22 children and seven dogs, which often has some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with the proceeds of Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their website, it says: “We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
The family expanded their business to cater to online orders placed across the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm, and some of their children helping out.
The older kids, who are working at least part-time, don’t get a free ride as they’re made to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
“Us older ones do pay a little bit of board. Granted it’s not a lot but I’m also trying to save up for my own house at the moment.” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the YouTube channel.
Sue added: “We’ve always said if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you saved that money up and stayed at home a bit longer.
“I also do believe they should pay board if they are earning. We’ve always been brought up by our parents that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue famously don’t rely on benefits for their bumper brood and live off their pie shop for income.
They also revealed they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting – which has run for four series.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue have been paid less than £10,000 for each show.
He told the Daily Mail: “The typical fee per episode is going to be in the thousands rather than the tens or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with TV shows of this nature.
“If they continue to get commissioned for a fourth or fifth season, then they are going to be able to command a higher fee.”
He estimates that the Radfords make £ 5,000 an episode.
Following this, Sue worried: “I do understand what Noel is trying to do here, but this is a bit over the top.”
Whilst Noel observed: “This might be a bit more hardcore than I bargained for.
“This is going to be hard for them, they’re used to luxury hotels, their luxury campervan, their comfy beds – there’s none of that.”
I really think the whole idea is just bonkers
Sue Radford
Not only did the kids have to surrender their phones, but they also had to have lessons in fire-making skills to build a shelter for the night too.
Despite the initial shock and moaning throughout, once the 48 hours was up, the family were stunned by what they had achieved.
“Proud” Noel then observed: “From now on, there’s no such thing as ‘can’t’. They’ll be surprised at what they can achieve.
“None of us wanted to do it, but we did it.
“We found out how resilient the kids are, they’re a lot tougher than I thought they’d be. And I think we’ve come away a stronger family unit.”
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During their 48 hours in the wild, the family were set a string of gruelling tasks to test their resilience to the limit and Tillie was not impressed[/caption]
But on reflection, Noel was “proud” of how well everyone coped[/caption]